Appointment in Ven

This is a book of 43 black-and-white photographs of Venice, seen as an atmospheric, haunting city of muted light and soft focus. Gotfryd (Egypt: The Eternal Smile) took these pictures on misty November dawnings that present us with an eerie, empty landscape. We see a woman, sometimes two, dressed in flowing dark coats, black gloves and hats, roaming the depopulated streets and cafes of the early morning. There's more Du Maurier than Canaletto in the damp pavements, crumbling walls and deserted canals of this Venice. Gotfryd explains in an introduction that a recurring dream, of the loneliness of the human condition, inspired/compelled him to create this elegant, illustrated dirge. (Nov.)